25.05.09 - Sioux Falls to Rapid City
Trip Start
May 20, 2009
1
8
22
Trip End
Jun 08, 2009
Rapid City,
South Dakota,
United States
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Corn Palace
On arrival we were a bit disappointed that we'd been slightly misled in that only really the building's façade was of corn construction, however the Palace redeemed itself somewhat with some of the mid-America fare on sale inside. "Ass-Blaster" hot sauce, packaged in a little wooden outhouse, was probably the pick of the bunch. At this point, we were beginning to wonder if the advice we'd received in Madison around the fact that no-one in their right minds would want to go to South Dakota might have some justification (despite the sauces) however as the farmlands began to open out into the Great Plains we sensed that the journey would be worthwhile. The plains are fantastic to drive through - mile after mile of undulating nothingness that push beyond the horizon into infinity. The sense of isolation was accentuated by the fact we were the only car on the road. Indeed it seemed like we were the only people on the planet for a while which, given we live and work in London, was an understandably liberating experience.
The Great Plains
All of a sudden, almost out of nowhere, the Badlands National Park carves a spectacular schism in the landscape. Such is the contrast with the previous 200 or so miles, it almost seems like it really shouldn't be there. The Badlands is an incredibly unusual geographic phenomenon and the suggestion that Peter Jackson might've considered this as an alternative set for Mordor didn't seem miles from the mark. Endless cones of limestone, gradated with different shades of red, brown and white, explode upwards into the sky to produce an eerie landscape that really isn't of this world.
The Badlands
We had a short trek around some of the trails which proved worthwhile not only for the view but also for the wildlife, chancing across what appeared to be a baby rattlesnake on the way.
The Snake
Back in the car, Highway 240 meanders for some 50 miles through the park and it really was a pleasure to be at the helm given the total lack of other vehicles. The guide book suggested a minor detour off the beaten track into buffalo territory. Clearly unable to resist the temptation, we tolerated the gritty track on the off chance that we'd get sight of these amazing beasts. Luck was on our side and sure enough we passed a herd close enough to appreciate their true size - a truly amazing experience that we'd both earmarked months ago as being a big favourite. Slightly smaller but nevertheless entertaining was the subsequent trip through the Prairie Dog Farm - little critters that dash about squeaking away to each other. Highly amusing though clearly they seemed to be warning each other that we were about and to therefore disappear as quickly as possible.
Beware...
Having had our fill of archetypal North American wildlife, we reluctantly hit the road (/gravel track) out of The Badlands and headed for a little town called Wall just North of the National Park. Wall is home to Wall Drug, which rivals The Apprentice for being the most overrated thing in the whole world (Greg's comparison) - this store is advertised by roughly 500 billboards all the way from Minnesota (some 300 miles away), yet due to Memorial Weekend was pretty much entirely shut by the time we arrived so we couldn't even get our 5c coffee.
Our final destination, Rapid City, was considerably more charming than the cultural desert of Sioux Falls. We managed to easily locate a decent local bar (the Firehouse Brewery) and sample 3 or 4 of the local brews, all washed down with a huge bowl of spicy seafood and meat gumbo before rolling back to the hotel.
Day Six Stats:
Mileage - 350 (1745 total)
State registration plates seen - 1 (37 total)
States visited - South Dakota
